Matheu Goh and Ariel Goh at the 2024 Beckman Institute Open House.
Electrochemistry crackles inside a strawberry. Neuroscience rings in your ears. Biomechanics, the study of movement, springs to life in hospitals, clinics and your own living room.
Experience the everyday science all around you at the Beckman Institute Open House, held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, April 4, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. To kick off the festivities, Calvin Mackie of STEM NOLA will give the SmithGroup Lecture at 2:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3, in the Beckman Auditorium. A kid-friendly reception will follow at 3:30 p.m., as will a preview of the open house.
“We are so excited to open our doors to the community to showcase all the neat science happening here. What we do has real-world impact, and we welcome everyone to explore,” said Steve Maren, who directs the Beckman Institute.
Explore a virtual reality Minecraft world.Open house features more than 30 exhibits designed with exploration in mind. Visitors who wonder “how it’s made” can venture into a virtual reality Minecraft landscape to interact with molecules, the world’s tiniest building blocks, before lifting off to see how Beckman researchers build materials in space.
Those drawn to imaging can visualize brainwaves and diagnose pretend patients with MRI, X-rays and ultrasound; bug out with Bugscope to zoom in on creepy-crawlies; and design science-themed artwork in the Visualization Lab’s Imagination Station.
Participants partial to living things can listen like a rat, think like a slug, become masters of movement and flip the teenage brain inside-out (Joy, Anger, Disgust and Anxiety aren’t just characters in that animated movie!).
Kids of all ages can engage with neuroscience, electricity, microscopy and more.As in previous years, a science scavenger hunt and selection of kid-friendly exhibits offer playful opportunities to engage with neuroscience, electricity, microscopy and more. This section also features Beckman research focused on kids’ health and wellbeing.
On Friday and Saturday, English and Spanish read-aloud sessions in the Beckman Auditorium will debut Beckman’s children’s book, “Questions led the way: May’s misadventures at the Beckman Institute.” Maren will be one of the book’s special readers.
“The Beckman Institute was made possible by Arnold and Mabel Beckman, and Arnold was just a boy when he became fascinated by chemistry. The book tells Arnold’s story and will be a delight to share with all the explorers — young and old — in the audience,” Maren said.
Also new this year are exhibits encouraging participation in campus research and showcasing the Illinois Science Explorers program, which collaborates with campus and community partners (e.g., the Champaign Park District’s Martens Center) to deliver engaging STEM programming.
“Open house is an amazing event, but it only lasts two days!” said Lexie Kesler, who coordinates Beckman’s open house and outreach events. “Exhibits like these are so important because they highlight ways Beckman and the community partner with each other throughout the rest of the year.”
Interested in joining that research study on aging that you just visited? Chat with Hannah Jones, Beckman’s human participants coordinator. Want more STEAM programming for the kids in your life? Learn how to engage with the organization nearest you.”
Educators and teachers may preregister their classrooms online. Preregistered classes will be entered into a drawing for a gift card from The Literary to purchase STEM books for their classroom libraries. Double entry will be given to those classes that visit Friday afternoon, April 4.
The Beckman Institute Open House is annual and is held at the same time as the Engineering Open House each year.
